Traditional devices such as bedpans are often used for patients or elderly individuals in nursing homes and elderly or other individuals confined to bed at home or individuals having balance problems thus subject to falling and necessitating the need for someone to be with them. However, these devices usually require the dependency of the patient or elderly individual on the nursing staff of an institution, or on care providers at home. Other conventional devices known in the art require that the patients be displaced relative to their beds, or leave their beds, in order to enable them to use the toilet in a seated, normal upright position.
Devices that have integrated a commode with the actual bed itself have been overly complicated. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,959,833, issued to Burke et al., an insert is provided whereby a portion of the mattress is removed and a portable commode is inserted therefore. However, the individual is required to assist in positioning this commode in the bed. This type of system does not facilitate connection to plumbing sanitary waste of domestic water lines and still requires some other type of intervention by the nursing staff, or care provider.